Aaaaargh!

 

Wednesday, 1^st October

We both woke early – despite not having gone to bed until about 2.00 am, worried about the Lib Dem communication.  And we cracked it!  Which rather set the tone for the day.  Breakfast, then the screen room, then more and more and more chores.  Ali went up a ladder and checked the gutters (which were pretty clear as it happens, thanks to the work she’d done on them the previous year).

Just the most glorious day outside.  A great flight of Geese went over, honking wildly.  Ali started to make friends with one of the chipmunks.  And golden sunshine, with blazing colour in the leaves.

I cut back the hydrangea outside the bathroom window which Ali helped to remove.  We sealed up the basement access.

In the end, tiredness overtook me at least.

Thursday, 2^nd October.

Another early start.  And the chores just ticked off.  I think that we remembered to do everything.  And we got away by about 13.15 – which is pretty good.

Petrol (Gas) and a call in to K and D on the way down to Montreal before Rod’s kindness in driving us, once again, through the heavy traffic to the airport.  We’d missed lunch so a factory pizza in the airport and we declined main courses with the inflight meal.  No upgrade this time but comfy enough seats.  

 

A slightly bumpy crossing, a route taking us way south because of Storm Amy and then through immigration just like that and a very long wait for baggage before the bus back to Bristol.

 

And collapse.

I wonder whether there’s a place for booking an hotel at the airport when we arrive?

More reflections later but this has been an exceptional holiday.  Thanks to all who have contributed to that; it wouldn’t have been the same without you!

Back soon – God willing.

Festina lente

 

Monday, 29^th September.

Woke very early and then went back to sleep – to be woken by the subliminally sensed smell of frying bacon (Pam and Noel blissfully looking after themselves) and the screaming answerphone.  “M. Laramee (Tree feller) can see you today.  Is that OK?”  Of course, we didn’t have his number to ring back and confirm and, by the time I’d found it, he was just arriving!

He took down the moribund Autumn Cherry by the barn and logged that in place, and then two, very sick White Birches, and one of the conifers in the old driveway.  That was not without small adventure…

And then he was gone.  Noel and I did a tour of the house with “What’s where”, in case they take refuge from the skyscraper building that’s happening across their road….
Then Pam and Ali went to walk the tower south of Tremblant, and Noel went with them to sit in the car.

 

 

Meanwhile, I carried the logged remnants of the two birches from the field where they had fallen to the front of the barn.  Phew! 

No palpitations, no pain, just blooming weary!

Ali came home some time after 4.00.  I went in to the village to pay the balance to M. Laramee and came home to make a macaroni salmon.  That was OK.

A simply lovely message from Carole Westwood, whom I had told about the completion of our trip.  Thank you, Carole.

Tuesday, 30^th September.

Slooow start!  But we have collected Moonlight from her place beside the lake, at Yve’s house – and had a chat with Janin and Dianne; removed the roof rack from the car and stored both the rack and the boat in the basement, along with MarRon and Burlesque, pending adventures next year; been to pay Michel Lanthier for the snow removal this winter – nice man; started the reinforcing of the screen room – thwarted by the failure to charge of my spare battery.  But we have the “spine” in place.  Everything else is easy but tricky. 

This young buck came to visit, probably sensing the parsley, temporarily unguarded! 

 

Macaroni salmon again.  Big day tomorrow, but an unbelievably frustrating evening trying to send a Lib Dem email.  Aaaargh!